Guernsey Co. is home to new facility

SALEM, Ohio – Plans have been finalized and construction crews are making way for Green Valley Co-op’s newest facility. Located in southern Guernsey County near Pleasant City, Ohio, it will include a 40,000-square foot feed manufacturing plant, 20,000-square foot warehouse and 4,000-square foot farm retail store. A groundbreaking ceremony May 23 kicked off the project.Changes. Right now, the co-op manufactures feed at its Bethesda, Caldwell, Cambridge, Marietta, Waterford and Woodsfield locations. Once the new facility opens, all feed manufacturing will take place in Pleasant City. “All of our house feeds will be manufactured at one site,” said W. Edward Harra, the co-op’s president and chief executive officer. The feed will then be transported to the other locations.Updated. With the new facility comes modern equipment, like an automated bagging line. Harra said the updated production process will make feed manufacturing more efficient and allow for more ingredient mix choices. The co-op also plans to concentrate on using dried distillers grains. With agriculture being a major business in southeast Ohio, Harra hopes the new facility, which sits on 25 acres, will offer some flexibility to farmers. “It’s going to allow the smaller farmers to get those products without having to buy in bulk,” he said. Green Valley Co-op selected Pleasant City for the new facility because of its central location in the trade area. The co-op plans to dispatch all its bulk trucks from this location.Service. In addition to farmers in southeast Ohio, the co-op also serves farmers in western Pennsylvania and northern West Virginia. Harra said the new facility will also be useful to residential customers looking for things like retail feed, fertilizer and farm supplies. The new addition will help the co-op improve its overall functions, according to the president. “I think it’s going to increase our offerings and efficiency,” he said. The new facility will likely open its doors in January. (Reporter Janelle Skrinjar welcomes feedback by phone at 800-837-3419, ext. 22, or by e-mail at jskrinjar@farmanddairy.com.)